


What Normal Families Do

by juststoriesintheendsweetie



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: AU, Fluff, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 12:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2151327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juststoriesintheendsweetie/pseuds/juststoriesintheendsweetie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternate universe, River and the Doctor have a daughter named Amelia. They are attempting to live a normal lifestyle until such a time as they believe she is old enough to travel and deal with the potential dangers. In this short, the family travels to a theme park and the Doctor tries to convince River to ride a roller coaster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Normal Families Do

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first time ever writing fan fiction. I requested that people give me prompts, so this particular one stemmed off a prompt from a tumblr user. I welcome critiques but like I said, though I do write on a fairly regular basis, I've never written this stuff before so please be kind! I'm aware that it's definitely not the best thing I've ever written but I'm proud of finishing it haha. I do not own or have right sot the Doctor, River, or any other Doctor Who characters mentioned or the show in general.

“River, love, please hurry up….if we don’t leave now we’ll be stuck in traffic for hours.”

His voice is barely audible over the sound of the blow dryer, and I yell back my response without even bothering to switch it off.

“I’ve almost finished Matthew just give me a moment!”

It only takes me that sentence to finish making sure my curls aren’t sopping wet. The constant noise ceases and I can hear the sigh from my husband, followed by his already exasperated voice asking our daughter to please stop climbing on the kitchen table.

“It’s for tea and food little one, not for your feet - no please stop. The table is not for performing ballet moves Amelia!”

Smiling to myself, I slide my wedding band onto my finger and walk out into the living room. Amelia is still dancing on the table, giggling at her father’s ever growing frustration. Lifting her up, I tell her to go put on her shoes. The Doctor, who has taken on the name ‘Matthew’ as part of our “living a normal lifestyle” expedition, looks beyond exhausted.

“Hello sweetie.”

His lips do not utter words in response but instead gently brush over mine.

“No hallucinogenic lipstick this time.”

He smiles playfully, thinking himself clever.

“No, though I do keep some in my pocket for emergencies so you be a good boy or I just may have to break that side of me back out.”

I can feel his cheeky grin as our lips contact once more.

Amelia races down the stairs yelling about how she’s ready to leave and Matthew turns his puppy dog eyes on me.

“River, if we just took the TARDIS, we’d be there so much quicker…”

“No Matthew.”

“But love, just think! No traffic, be there in a snap! We don’t even have to go to this theme park, we could go to the very first Disneyland! Oh I’d love to show Amelia what it was like on opening…”

“Sweetie, normal lifestyle. Remember? We can’t drag a four year old around with us to fight the galaxy. In a few years time, perchance, but not just now.”

“But -“ I quit even arguing and simply hold out my hand.

“TARDIS key. Now.”

He fidgets momentarily, but all I have to do is twist my fingers in my hair and he hands it over. Sighing loudly, my stubborn husband picks up Amelia and stomps dramatically out to the garage. My babies laughter echoes off of the concrete walls and I cannot help but smile as I grab my purse and head out the door with them.

An hour later, we are completely stopped in traffic and I am beginning to think it might be easier to just park and walk there. Glancing in the rearview mirror, I can tell that Amelia is about to mention how bored she is.

“Mum I’m borrreeddd.”

Right on cue.

“See River I told you we should have just taken the TARDIS we wouldn’t be stuck!”

“Matthew hush up. You can’t just materialize into the middle of a theme park. Tell your daughter a story or I will pull out the lipstick.”

That floppy hair and huge eyes look toward me with a gaze of longing for the old adventurous days, but the nostalgia is soon interrupted with a small voice from the backseat.

“Daddy tell me stories about grandma and grandpa. I want to hear about the day they disappeared again.”

“Oh really poppet, the angels again?”

With no response, Matthew turns around. I glance in the rearview again and can see her eyes locked on his, eager to lap up any time story he will tell her. He sighs (I’ve just realized he’s been doing that frequently as of late, he is having trouble adjusting to staying put) and launches into the day we lost his best friends and my parents.

“There was this book, your mum wrote it but I didn’t know that yet….”

Taking a deep breath, I melt into my seat and allow his voice to pull me back in time. An hour and a half later, I turn left into the car park just as he is bringing it to a close.

“Amelia, your grandmother took your mum’s hand and told her to be good and to take care of me - “

“Well she was right there, you do need taking care of. Not so sure I kept the promise to be good though.”

I wink in his direction, but he ignores me and keeps going. Once that man starts a story, he doesn’t walk away.

“…she disappeared from before our eyes and almost simultaneously her name appeared underneath your grandfather’s on the gravestone.”

Silent tears begin running down my face but I quickly wipe them away as I hear his breath catch.

Clearing my throat, I excitedly announce,“We’re here!”

Amelia begins immediately unbuckling as my husband turns my way. I can see the pain in his eyes and in that instant he is not Matthew. He is the Doctor, my Doctor, with all those centuries of loss and grief hiding just behind the walls. I lean over and kiss him passionately, like the night we were married just before I killed him but it wasn’t really him and…oh well that’s a long story.

“Mum, Daddy, come on!”

Our eyes lock and I stare until I can see past all the scars to the love. Patting my hand, he climbs out of the car and begins walking to the ticket stand.

We’ve been there for maybe an hour when he spots the roller coaster - The Twister, it is called.

“River! River look. Let’s go on that one.”

His face is giddy, his smile one of pure joy. My stomach, however, twists at the mere thought of it. Me, the Doctor’s wife, the woman who has flown the TARDIS countless times, who has fought the monsters all across the universe and even overcome being raised to kill the man who stands before me - I cannot even picture getting on a roller coaster.

“Amelia, would you like to pop over there for an ice cream?”

Even she does not allow me to get away with ignoring Matthew.

“Mum, let’s go on the roller coaster! Please?”

“Darling, mummy doesn’t particularly enjoy those rides…why don’t you and Daddy go?”

“Mum we never do these things! You won’t let me ride in the TARDIS, you never do anything with me that’s fun like this!”

Finally Matthew pops in, and I silently thank God for that. I was not prepared to argue with an almost five year old about why she couldn’t fly to a new planet every weekend. Weren’t we not supposed to have that talk until she was a teenager? I'm lost in thinking about how we will handle it when she wants to fly off by herself, when their conversation yanks me back to the present. 

“…doesn’t like them, you might not even be tall enough sweetheart.”

“But Daddy - “

“Let’s go get an ice cream like mum suggested.”

“No, I want to ride the coaster!”

His eyes turn pleadingly back to me and I know what he’s thinking:

_Normal lifestyle, River. This is what normal families do._

No matter how hard I fight the ever growing nausea at the mere thought of twisting and turning, I just can’t do it. Both of them look over at me, my husband and my daughter. The truth is, I want a new adventure. I’m growing restless being stuck here on Earth.

I don’t like roller coasters.

But my bones ache for something new.

I nod slowly and take his hand, leaning my head on his shoulder.

“Promise you’ll hold me the hold time?”

“I’m always here River. Anything you need.”

Tears threaten to come out of my eyes again. I’m so emotional lately, with all the story telling of days past. I take a shaky breath in and grip his hand. The Doctor’s lips collide with mine and I know what my answer will be when Amelia asks next.

“Mum…can we do it?”

“Yes, sweetie.”


End file.
